


The way you captivate me and then there's all there is to it

by muffin_reverie



Series: Catalyst defined in a relationship [6]
Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-06-04 04:15:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6641089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muffin_reverie/pseuds/muffin_reverie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The color of her sleeveless dress accentuated her blue orbs, and Josh couldn’t take his eyes away from them. He didn’t have to say anything, because her ocean blue eyes revealed her content at his admiring stare – though he felt he was gaping in all foolishness as he marveled at her beauty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The way you captivate me and then there's all there is to it

Maya uncontrollably laughs as Farkle and Isadora scream from their ride on the roller coaster. She finds it a hilarious sight to see two graduating high school seniors hollering at the top of their lungs to get off an amusement park ride that they had been eager to go on just twenty minutes ago.  
  
“That’s not really funny, Maya.”  
  
“Oh, really?” She turns to young man beside her, her partner for the evening and apparently, through the night as midnight beckons in just another 15 minutes. She notices the tugging grin at the edges of Josh’s lips and Maya beckons closer with all devious mischief. “Tell me now that hearing Farkle screaming at a tremendous high pitch for a guy isn’t funny.”  
  
“It’s –” Josh swallows hard and quickly turns away.  
  
“I knew it!” Maya triumphantly grins, and pokes Josh in the sides causing him to break out into a chuckle. She know how ticklish he is, so she lets her fingers wander a bit and as soon as they make their tingling trail, Josh starts wheezing out puffs of laughter as he unsuccessfully inches away from her. Despite Josh’s half-hearted protests and the curious gazes from passersby, Maya has no intention to stop; she adores his laughter after all, but also mostly because she enjoys terrorizing his weak spot when it comes to tickles.  
  
Josh reaches out a hand to stop Maya’s wandering fingers and another goes around her waist. “Stop it, Maya.” He gasps, meeting her eyes. Even with the gentlest of contact with her, Maya appears to have frozen in place, startled, and her fingers immediately ceased in their mission. Though Maya knows of his weak spots, he also knows hers; the unexpected physical contact between him and her.  Josh briefly glances around at their surroundings – twinkling glow of lights all around them, colorful and bold typeface signs, merry calliope-like music, and trailing laughs and screams of amusement and joy, before looking back at Maya again with an indulgent smile. “Do you want to get an ice cream cone now?” He casually asks, linking their fingers together in a soft grasp. He sees her rolling her eyes and he knows she is mentally berating herself for giving in so easily.  
  
“Okay, but only if I can have two scoops.”  
  
“Three, and we share.”  
  
“You pick up the tab, and it’s a deal.”  
  
The college student notices the occasional stares and he knows it’s only because of their outfits, Maya in her teal green formal dress and him in his shirt and waistcoat, black dress pants and a loosened teal green tie. It’s the night after Maya’s senior prom after all, and the Matthews, including Shawn and Katy as well as Riley and Maya’s close-knit group of friends, are at the amusement park for an after-prom celebration of their own. It had been Shawn’s idea and both Cory and Riley had been so excited for it that everyone was dragged along for the outing. Josh also discerns those admiring gazes which fall on Maya, and while he does feel protective, he can’t help but to agree on those approving looks – Josh himself had been mesmerized by Maya when he arrived at the Matthews’ home to pick her up for the evening.  
  
He had arrived a few minutes earlier than the time he was supposed to, just so Cory _and_ Shawn could give their fatherly-speech about proper decorum and prom etiquette while he kept a straight face and took them as seriously as he could, so he hadn’t realized the moment Maya walked into the room – until she stood right behind him on the couch and gave him a scare with a sudden yell in his right ear. Shawn had a good laugh while Cory was aghast, having been frightened as well with the sudden ambush by Maya. Josh stood up, hand on his chest as he tried to catch his breath but found it a futile attempt – his throat constricted at the sight of Maya and he felt his heart doing a giddy whirl.  
  
In her fitting lace gown that was accompanied by an illusion sweetheart neckline with lace trimmings and adorned with tasteful sprinkles of glitter, Maya carried a romantic and almost enchanting air about her as she met Josh’s gaze with a radiant smile. The color of her sleeveless dress accentuated her blue orbs, and Josh couldn’t take his eyes away from them. He didn’t have to say anything, because her ocean blue eyes revealed her content at his admiring stare – though he felt he was gaping in all foolishness as he marveled at her beauty.  
  
Though truthfully, Josh had been captivated by Maya more than he could count; the first time Maya told him she liked him all those years ago when she was only 14, there was the time when she played Call of Duty in his dorm room with him, then the one where he found her in her school’s art room – painting with her blonde hair falling over her shoulders as she concentrated on her work, or the summer day he came downstairs from an afternoon nap and found Maya and his parents baking cookies together in the kitchen, or even the one evening at the arcade where she did a goofy chicken dance when she beat him at Skeeball.  
  
The fondest of those moments was during Maya’s junior year when he brought her to visit Tisch and she had wandered off midway and since he didn’t want to interrupt her obvious fascination with the performing arts school, he went in an empty room that had a grand piano and played Rachmaninoff’s Morceaux de fantaisie Prelude in C-sharp minor. Maya soon wandered in and stood by the doors, the afternoon sun casting its warm glow on her, similar to a halo on her blonde long hair, as she smiled at Josh. The admiration written on her features surged a sense of pride within him, despite his embarrassment at being caught, and the curve of her lips was beautiful in Josh’s eyes. Even without words, Josh recognized the unadulterated attachment of her heart to him; simply by the way she looked at him as his fingers continued across the black and white keys.  
  
Back in the Matthews’ home, she lifted her wrist to him and Josh slipped on the corsage he personally picked with her a weekend before, a pale pink gerbera amongst the swirls of fabric, before lifting Maya’s hand to his lips for a tender kiss. It would have been a lovely moment if Shawn hadn’t howled at the gesture, causing Maya to quickly slip her hand away before Shawn could break Josh’s arm.  
  
Josh wasn’t sure if he would have been Maya’s senior prom date, he had been hoping he would be, but like he promised years ago – he wanted Maya to have always have a choice instead of having him out of obligation. When she asked him during one of their Saturday breakfasts together, Josh immediately said yes – to Maya’s amusement. He did however, asked if she was sure that she didn’t want to go with anyone else.  
  
“It’s my senior prom, Josh, there’s _no one_ I’d rather create this significant memory with than with you,” Maya had responded with a smirk.  
  
“Why me, Maya?” He gently asked.  
  
She softly sighed and looked away for a moment. “Because no one truly knows how I feel about you. I like you, Josh, and I don’t want people to second-guess me anymore.  I’ve been waiting for this for almost all my life, and I just want to be able to walk beside you as your date, my partner, and everything in the sappy context of romance.”  
  
Josh had smiled and in the spur of the moment, he got up from his seat to lean over to the other side of the table and placed a kiss on the edge of Maya’s lips. “Now everyone here knows how I feel about you, Maya Hart.” Her cheeks colored in a hue much redder than Josh had ever seen, and he knew it was because it was the first time he had shown such affection in a location filled with strangers.  
  
“Where do you think Riley and Lucas are right now?”  
  
“Probably hiding from Cory’s snooping eyes.” Josh chuckles as he pays for the ice cream and offers a thanks to the vendor. He hands the ice cream cone to Maya, knowing her well enough that she’d want the first lick, or bite. “I’m surprised that Shawn isn’t lurking around to pounce at my head though.” Despite his words, Josh takes a cursory glance anyway, the years of paranoia made it a habit for him to do so.  
  
Maya’s audible mirth brings his attention back to her. She gives him a wry look, wordlessly reminding him that his suspicion is superfluous because Shawn would pounce on him regardless, and holds out the cone to him. She takes quiet delight in watching the way Josh is unhesitant to take a mouthful at the very portion she had clearly taken a lick from. Inwardly, Maya is wonderstruck with warm fuzzies and euphoric sensations through the entire evening, and the smile playing on her lips refuses to leave.  
  
With Josh by her side as she entered the hotel ballroom for the graduating senior class, Maya had been elated beyond words to finally be able to refer to him as her date. It wasn’t as if she wanted to show him off, because all she really wanted was to be able to affirm that she is romantically-inclined with the young man beside her. Whenever they went out together in the past, Maya had never once referred him as anyone else but a friend, in respect to the mutual understanding they shared that all their emotions are platonic until she turns 18.  
  
Even when Josh asked her to be his date for a fundraising formal dinner that his class was organizing for a children charity. She had been nervous beyond words to attend the event, although she was already well-acquainted with Josh’s friends and lecturers who’d be there as she had spent her weekends helping out in their activities for the organization, but to be present as his partner was unlikely for Maya to hope for. Josh was the vice president of the fundraiser, so he was expected to be at the organizers’ table and clearly, whoever accompanying him for the evening would be subjected to attention as well. In the stunning dress that Josh surprised her with, one with a sweetheart neckline mesh bodice with intricate embellishments and a soft long chiffon navy skirt that complemented her blue eyes, Maya accompanied the equally dashing Josh to the dinner and made small conversations to her best effort with everyone who stopped to say hello to Josh and her. She made note to introduce herself as his friend, even when Josh made no attempt to correct anyone who immediately assumed that she was his girlfriend.  
  
At the end of the night, Josh sheepishly apologized for not making those corrections, and all Maya could do was to casually brush it off; because his gesture had spoke volumes on his feelings for her, and she wasn’t going to reprimand him for it. The evening had been made enchanting as she was never once regarded as just any high school student tagging along to an NYU event, but instead, she was Josh’s partner for the evening – his equal, and he made sure that she felt it too.  
  
This evening had been the same for Maya; memorable in every manner, from the way Josh had her arm linked around his to the dances they’ve shared, and how in their last dance together, he placed his forehead against hers and their gaze remained fixed on each other as an acoustic cover of Sixpence None The Richer’s ‘Kiss Me’ played in the background. She had danced with Farkle, Zay, Lucas, and even one with Cory, but her favorite remains to be the ones she shared with Josh.  
  
“Do you want to go on one last ride?”  
  
“We’re minutes away to closing. I doubt anyone would want to let us go on one now.” Maya replies, taking a bite of the ice cream. The cold creamy feeling at her jaw startles her and Josh chuckles, pointing out to the smear of ice cream on her features. Maya’s hand moves to her face but Josh beats her to it with his index finger gently swiping at the spot. She stares, almost fixated, at the proximity of his finger to her lips. His finger doesn’t move away and Maya wonders how it is that after years of knowing Joshua Matthews, her heart still stammers and freezes upon his touch.  
  
“Maya?” Josh’s voice is searching, and almost imploring.  
  
The large whimsical clock on a colorful tower strikes twelve, signaling midnight, and the PA system overhead announces of the park’s closure. She knows they should make a move to find the rest, but her feet resists any movement and remains rooted to the spot she is standing at. Maya’s gaze finally shifts to meet Josh’s blue eyes. Her thoughts scatter and regroup themselves, while her fingers tingle with anticipation as she feels the flutter within her. Josh takes two steps forward and she hears the rustling of her dress against his dress pants. His finger leaves her skin only to have the rest of them meeting her left hand, the one that’s holding on to the ice cream cone. His other free hand is at her waist, and she realizes how close Josh is to her.  
  
The last Maya sees before she closes her eyes is the small smile on Josh’s lips, and her senses are then taken over by the touch of his lips on hers – gentle and adoring. Every fiber of her being feels the spark coursing through her sensory, and behind her eyelids, all Maya could see are swirls of bold colors and streaks of silver and sparkles.  
  
She is barely aware of the people around them, the footsteps and murmurs, the laughs and whines, because all Maya Hart comprehends right now is that this is her first kiss with Joshua Matthews. It’s a kiss years in making, days of effort, hours of conversations, and seconds of close moments where they almost kissed but didn’t. His lips seek hers with unspoken passion, as if he is pouring his whole heart out in the open and revealing the years of pent-up emotions and desires.  
  
The radiance of the tinkling lights illuminates their moment as the music gradually ceases into the night. Maya finds herself smiling into the kiss and when Josh pulls away as the music completely stops, and the ice cream is melting onto their clasped hands, he mirrors her expression – bashful and glowing from the kiss.  
  
“Josh! Maya!” They both turn to see Topanga and Auggie waving at them from a now-closed hot dog cart. “Let’s go, the park’s closing.”  
  
Smiling despite the interrupted moment, Josh takes Maya’s hand in his and leads her towards Topanga and Auggie. Maya struggles with the melted ice cream, much to his amusement, and she takes a few mouthfuls quickly before shoving the rest to Josh so he can finish it. Josh gets separated from Maya as they meet everyone in the car park and split into smaller groups to get home, but finds himself seated beside her by the bay window of the Matthews’ living room just an hour later. He immediately smiles when he sees her walking towards him, in a baseball jersey he used to own – she had apparently took it for her own when he stayed over a year ago and left it behind, and plaid pajama pants. With her long blonde hair freely cascading behind her back, and in her pajamas, he still finds himself admiring the beauty of the high school senior.  
  
“So.” She begins, settling herself beside him with her legs crossed in front of her.  
  
“Well, I hope you’ve had a great evening, Maya.”  
  
She nods. “I did.” Looking at him closely, Maya makes a face, “That better not be all that you are going to say.”  
  
Quietly chuckling so he doesn’t wake the rest of the Matthews, Josh shakes his head. “No, there’s more to that.” He notices her shifting slightly and realizes that she is actually nervous. “Maya, about midnight –,” he pauses and realizes that his heart is beating at a tremendous pace. Taking a deep breath, Josh soldiers on, “I hope what I did, was alright with you.”  
  
“It’s more than alright.” Maya whispers.  
  
“I owe you this,” he breathes out, “and maybe you already know because I haven’t exactly been hiding it, so here it is, after years of dancing around each other – I love you, Maya Hart.”  
  
Her eyes widen and the thumps of his heart against his chest is so loud to his ears that he thinks he may just combust with the overwhelming feelings he has been holding in for so long. Maya likes him, that much he is sure, but to establish her feelings for him are of the exact same – that she is in love with him, and not just an affectionate like, Josh is terrified of the outcome. He looks at her hopefully, and he recognizes that he is in the same position as Maya was years ago, when she first told him that she liked him and placed her heart in the open; hopeful yet vulnerable.  
  
The seconds tick by quietly.  
  
“I love you too, Josh.”  
  
The words are soft but filled with the same heartfelt tone and intent as he had heard years ago. The relief that fills his lungs is indescribable as Josh’s features break out into an elated grin.  
  
“So does this mean we get to be together?”  
  
“If Shawn and Cory don’t burn me at the stake after this, sure.”  
  
Maya laughs. Josh opens his arms and she dives into his warmth, gladly and contentedly. “This is a someday definitely worth waiting for.” She murmurs into his t-shirt.  
  
“And there are definitely more days ahead for us.” Josh promises.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Characters belong to the wonderful world of Disney, and the creators of Girl Meets World/Boy Meets World


End file.
